Back in the Day of *Internet Fandom*??? Really??? I've been doing this fandom thing since the mid-80's, long before that whole newfangled Internet thing. I had to contain my guffaws at her statement. She's been in fandom a whole six years, and thinks she knows what's what?

I will say, at some level, there is some truth to the fact that *certain areas* of fandom are indeed dying out. But that's mostly because those who want to maintain it are themselves dying out.

And really, if certain areas of fandom are happy being an elephants' graveyard of OldFartFans smacking their gums and talking about how their fandom was so much better back in their day, I'm good with that. Just so long as they don't suddenly wonder why their particular area of fandom is not attracting new people.

So in that sense, Fandom with a capital 'F' is not dying, as such. It's merely changing. Which is should be doing anyway.

I boggle at the notion that fandom is this SuperSekritThing we do under the covers with a flashlight in -- as she says -- a "dark and warm" place. People who say that (and yes, my hand to ghod, I've heard this from certain segments of fandom), are those who have never been to a Dragon*Con or a Comic-Con.

Then again, they're the sort to dismiss that as not being "fannish" in the first place, so there you are then.